Adverse prenatal and perinatal factors are associated with schizophrenia of early onset

In order to investigate the role of prenatal and perinatal risk factors in the development of schizophrenia and affective and reactive psychosis in early adult life, Hultman et al (p 421) carried out three population based, case-control studies using the Swedish birth and inpatient registries. Adverse prenatal and perinatal factors were more common in patients with schizophrenia than in controls and seemed more important in the aetiology of early onset schizophrenia than in affective and reactive psychosis. Multiparity, bleeding during pregnancy, and small size for gestational age were associated with a threefold to fourfold increased risk for schizophrenia among males. The authors conclude that the mechanism underlying the increased risk remains unknown but ischaemic brain damage secondary to placental insufficiency is one possibility.


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Relevant Article

Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for schizophrenia, affective psychosis, and reactive psychosis of early onset: case-control study • Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for early onset schizophrenia, affective psychosis, and reactive psychosis

Christina M Hultman, Pär Sparén, Noriyoshi Takei, Robin M Murray, Sven Cnattingius, and John Geddes
BMJ 1999 318: 421-426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]